All options were left open, as well as a possible terrorist attack. As soon as the police entered the apartment, the man attacked them. Dutch police at first sent in a K-9 officer who was wounded by the Syrian with the axe (the dog later died) and then tried to taser the man, all to no avail.

Mayor Mr Cor Lamers of Schiedam explained: "It is serious that this happened in a residential area."

"Although the situation took place inside a home, bystanders directly experienced what happened because of the shouting. I can imagine that it was frightening. "

"I understand that people are wondering what is going on here. It is a man with a Syrian background who has lived with his father in Schiedam since 2017. The man was known to different aid agencies. However, this is an escalation that we did not see coming. In the coming period, we will be conducting a full investigation into what happened. "

The Dutch government this morning declared that they believed the man had a psychosis. So far the incident has not been declared as an act of terrorism.